Machinery for grinding spherical balls



(No Model.) I. 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

'" H. RICHARDS-0N,

MACHINERY FOR GRINDING SPHERIGAL BALLS.

No. 365,407. Patented June 28 1837 I if N. PETKHS, Phulo-Lifihagmphsr, Wishinglon. D, C.

H. RICHARDSON.v

MACHINERY FOR GRINDING SPHERIGAL BALLS.

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No. 365,407. Patnted June 28,1887.

b m m 0 4 4 A Inventor N. PETERS. PHnwLilhogm-rbar. Waihinglun. QC.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY RICHARDSON, OF WVALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINERY FOR GRINDING SPHERICAL BALLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No; 365,407, dated June 28, 1887.

,Application filed March 31, 1887. Serial No. 233,141. (No model.) Patented in Canada April 16, 1887, No. 26,400.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY RICHARDSON, of Waltham, in the county of Middlesex, of the Common wealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement; in Machinery for Grinding Spherical Balls; and I do hereby declare the same to be described in the following specification, and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a vertical, longitudinal, and median section; and Fig. 3 is a top view of a machine embodying my invention, the nature of which is defined in the claims hereinafter presented. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken through the grinding-wheel pulley and the eccentric sleeve on which such pulley revolves when the machine is in operation.

The said machine is to reduce to a true spherical form each of a series of balls.

In the drawings, A denotes a standard for supporting the principal operative parts of the machine. There extends down through the lower arm or part, a, of the said standard a tube, B, which also projects above the said part a, the tube being fastened in the part a by set-screws I), screwed into the part a and against the tube.

A spindle or shaft, 0, going upward through the bore of the tube, has fixed on the part of it extending below the tube a drivingpulley, d. On the portion of the spindle projecting above thetube there is fastened concentrically a conic frustum, D, which is arranged within and concentrically with an aperture or race, (1, in a horizontal annulus, E, the said aperture being in the form of an inverted conic frustum. The annulus E is surrounded by another annulus or ring, F, to which it is pivoted diametrically thereof, as shown ate 6, and this latter annulus is arranged within the prongs of a fureated lever, Gr, fulcrumed to the'standard A. The annulus F is pivoted to the prongs of the lever, as shown atff, a line through such pivots being at right angles to one. through the pivots e 6. Thus it will be seen that the lever is connected to the ring E by what are termed gimbals. f"

Under the'aperture d is the tubular grinder H, that extends upward from and is supported by a disk or head, h, having a driving-pulley,

z, projecting down from it, as represented. The said pulley and disk or head encompass and revolve on an eccentric cylindrical sleeve, I, adapted to surround and slide vertically on the tube 13, but not to revolve thereon, a stud, k, from the tube being extended into a groove, Z, made in the sleeve. The circumference of the sleeve I is eccentric relatively to the bore of such sleeve. At its upper part the sleeve has a flange or head, m, that rests on the disk h The sleeve is screw-threaded, as shown at m, in the part of it which projects below the pulley i, there being screwed on the screwthreaded part two rings, a and 0,. The lower of these rings projects into a notch, p, in a stationary standard, L, projecting upward from the part a.

By revolving the ring 0 one way the grinder may be forced upward, it being correspondingly moved downward by turning the ring the opposite Way. By such means the upper edge of the grinder can be properly adjusted for the series of balls placed in the aperture or race d, to rest in contact with the said upper edge. As the grinder-pulley revolves on the eccentric I, the upper or grinding top of the grinder H will be caused to revolve eccentrically relatively to the race, whereby the wholesurface of the upper edge of thegrinder will be caused to act against the balls, and will thereby be prevented from becoming grooved.

Above the race is the ball-revolver M, which is a disk fixed 011 the lower part of a vertical shaft, N, that is arranged within the bore of a sleeve,0,fixed in the upper part of the standard A, and held therein by set-serews r r, arranged as represented. A pulley, s, is fixed on the shaft N above the sleeve 0, such pulley being held to the shaft bya set-screw, 15. Furthermore, there is a clamping-collar, a, fixed on the sleeve 0 and to rest on the top of the standard A. a v

The balls to be ground are placed in the race (1, after which the revolver M is to be lowered to rest on the balls. This revolver is to be revolved by an endless band going about the pulley s, fixed on the upper part of the shaft N.

The rear arm of the furcated lever G is to have" a weight or spring applied to it to force it downward, in order to press the ring E up ward against the balls to keep them in contact with the revolver M. The said ring, by its gimbal attachment with the lever, can automatically adjust itself to the series of balls, which bear not only against the ring E but against the periphery of the conic frnstum D, such frustum being at the time revolved so as to aid in turning the balls. While by the disk M each ball of the series of balls is revolved around within the race, so as to bring more or less of suchball in contact with the grinder while the latter is in rapid revolution, such ball, by the frnstum D, will be further turned or revolved, whether such frnstum be at rest or in revolution. Thus by means of the automatically-adjustable ring E the revolver M, the frnstum D, and the cccentrically-revoluble grinder H all the balls will be simultaneously ground, and each will be reduced to, or substantially to, a perfect sphere in shape.

The axis of the shaft N is not in line with that of the shaft 0, though parallel to such as extended. By having the axis of such shaft N eccentric with that of the shaft 0 the disk M while in revolution will not be worn or ground unevenly by the balls.

Although I have represented the disk D as a conic frnstum, its periphery may be grooved or caused to fit or bear on the balls rather than be strictly frusto-conical. The same may be said relatively to the internal periphery of the annulus E.

If desirable, the axis of the shaft N may be in a straight line with that of the spindle C; but it is preferable to have it a little out of line therewith, as and for the purpose hcreinbefore mentioned.

R is a lever fulcrumed to astandard, S. The inner arm of this lever extends upward into the race and against the series of balls. The longer arm of the lever works against ascale, T, to indicate when the balls are sufficiently redueed. tion with a metallic plate arranged in the circuit of an electro'magnet, the whole being so that when the balls are sufficiently ground the arm may, by contact with the plate, close the circuit and cause the magnet to move its armature in a manner to put in operation mechanism for stopping the machine.

I claim" 1. The combination of the revolver M and frustmn D, provided with means of revolving them, as described, with the ring E, automatically adjustable, as set forth, and the tubular rotary grinder H, arranged with such frnstum D and ring E, and having means of revolving it, the said grinder, as explained.

2. The combination of the revoluble tuba lar grinder H, its pulley 2', and the verticallyadjustable eccentric I, having means of adj usting it, as deseribed,with the conic frnstum D, the automatical]y-adjustable annulus E, and the rcvolverM, havingmechanism for revolving it, as explained, the whole being to operate substantially in manner and for the purpose as represented.

3. The combination ofthe lever B and scale T with the ball-grinding machine, substantially as described, consisting of the revolver M, frnstum D,automatically-adj ustable ring E, and grinder H, the said grinder and revolver being provided with means of revolving them, as specified.

HENRY RICHARDSON.

Vitnesses:

R. H. EDDY, R. B. TORREY.

The said arm may operate in connee- 4 

